nuclear

"The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan

Joe Donahue — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:35:00 +0000

The Girls of Atomic City rescues a remarkable, forgotten chapter of American history from obscurity. Denise Kiernan captures the spirit of the times through these women: their pluck, their desire to contribute, and their enduring courage.

At the height of World War II, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was home to 75,000 residents, consuming more electricity than New York City. But to most of the world, the town did not exist. Thousands of civilians--many of them young women from small towns across the South--were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. That is, until the end of the war--when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed.

"Five Myths about Nuclear Weapons" by Ward Wilson

Joe Donahue — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:35:00 +0000

Ward Wilson is a senior fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He has spoken before governments and at think tanks and universities on the issue of Nuclear Weapons.

VT Yankee Nuke Plant at Full Power after Repairs

Tristan O'Neill — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 11:52:08 +0000

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is producing electricity at full power again after technicians completed repairs to one of two motor generators that vary the flow of cooling water to the reactor. WAMC’s Tristan O’Neill reports…

Plant spokesman Rob Williams says the problem, discovered was caused by faulty electrical connections in the unit, which is about half the size of a bus.

US Appeals Court Says VT Late with Nuke Appeal

Pat Bradley — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:28:22 +0000

A U.S. appeals court has rejected an argument by the state of Vermont that the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant should not have been given a new operating license because its federal water quality permit was out of date. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports…

In a ruling issued Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the state had multiple opportunities to argue the Vernon plant lacked a valid permit under the Clean Water Act during the proceedings that led up to the plant's relicensing last year.

Sanders sorry to see nuke chairman go

Pat Bradley — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:03:54 +0000

Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders says he’s “extremely disappointed” that the chairman of the Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission has announced his resignation. WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley has more….

Sanders reacted Monday to news of Gregory Jaczko’s departure by saying he has appreciated the chairman’s recognition that the NRC’s job is not to promote nuclear power, but to be a strong safety regulator.

Appeals Court Asks for VT Yankee Arguments

Thu, 10 May 2012 10:34:01 +0000

A federal appeals court weighing a water quality permit for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant wants lawyers to provide it with written arguments on another type of water quality permit.

Vermont Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller says that was one result from a hearing Wednesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

VT Nuke Plant Wants Year in State Permit Case

Tristan O'Neill — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:02:29 +0000

The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant wants Vermont's utility regulator to allow it to take more than a year to file documents that could lead to it being allowed to operate for another 20 years.

The state of Vermont is suggesting a similar time frame, but wants Vermont Yankee to file its main documents earlier than the company would like.

The plant and the state presented their cases to the Public Service Board on Wednesday. The board is deciding whether the plant's owner, Entergy Nuclear, should be given a state permit.